"Just reviewing your account," Ben said calmly, his voice resonating with System Authority, cutting through the warlock's bluster. "Your ledgers are twenty months overdue."
"What?! You're not even a hunter—you're a paper-pusher!" the warlock snarled, rising slightly from his throne, his voice laced with contempt, trying to regain control. "Guards, kill him. Now!"
The four elites surged forward, their crude but powerful weapons raised, their eyes burning with a savage intent, a desperate attempt to protect their leader and their way of life.
[ ⚖ Writ of Reprisal – Emergency Protocol Triggered ]
The briefcase vanished in a whisper of silver light. Ben's hands now held the Scales of Guilt in his left and the Shortsword of Compliance in his right. A hum of suppressed power surrounded him, a golden aura flaring briefly, making the air crackle with latent energy.
+30% Temporary Stat Boost: Active
Debuff Resistance: Active
Reprisal Mode Enabled
Ben moved like a whisper through parchment, an accountant's precision applied to combat, his movements fluid and efficient.
The first elite swung a heavy mace, a blur of spiked metal. Ben ducked beneath it with impossible grace, tapped his sword across the goblin's wrist—and its weapon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the goblin staring at its empty hands in disbelief.
[ ✦ Disarmed – Seal of Arms Activated ]
The second slashed at Ben's back with a jagged blade, nearly hitting him. He turned with precision calm, sliced through the air, his blade not lightly tapping the goblin. The goblin froze, suddenly sluggish, its movements bogged down as if wading through thick mud, its attack faltering.
[ ✦ Stat Recalibration Seal: -25% to all stats ]
The remaining two tried to flank him, a coordinated attack, their eyes glinting with a desperate hope. But as Ben stepped into a simple turn, the Scales of Guilt in his hand tipped, and chains erupted from the ground beneath their feet, shimmering gold, binding them instantly.
[ ✦ Chain of Accountability – Engaged ]
Within fifteen seconds, all four were restrained—hovering inches above the floor, their mouths locked in a frozen scream of terror and outrage before they were pulled violently into the swirling void of the Dimensional Seizure Cell. The cavern echoed with their sudden, absolute silence, leaving a chilling void.
Ben turned to the goblin warlock, who now stood alone, trembling uncontrollably, his glowing eyes wide with dawning horror. The air crackled with the residual System energy, a silent testament to Ben's efficiency.
"By the System's Authority," Ben stated, his voice flat and unyielding, resonating with the cold, hard truth of the ledger, "you are required to remit 25% of your accumulated EXP and stat gains immediately."
The warlock shook, sweat beading on his brow, his ancient wisdom failing him in the face of this incomprehensible power. "You... mean life essence? Our very being? The power that sustains us?"
"Whatever you call it," Ben replied, his gaze unwavering, devoid of sympathy. "Twenty months late. Failing to pay will incur escalating penalties: monthly stat seals, skill suppressions, and eventual foreclosure." He let the word "foreclosure" hang in the air, heavy with unspoken threats.
The warlock dropped to his knees, his bone-plated armor clattering against the stone floor, a sound of utter defeat. "W-We don't make enough to survive! Humans raid us every hour—we barely collect anything!" His voice was a desperate plea, a last, futile attempt at negotiation.
Ben's eyes didn't blink, devoid of pity, reflecting only the cold logic of the System. "Then I suggest you pay now, before you fall into exponential debt, a debt from which there is no return."
The warlock screamed, a sound of pure anguish, a primal cry of loss, and pulled a pulsating orb from under his robes, glowing like molten sap, the very essence of his power and accumulated life. He offered it, trembling, his hand shaking uncontrollably, his dignity stripped away.
[ ✦ A Total of 10,027 EXP and 55 Stat Points has been collected. ]
[ ✦ You earned 1,002 EXP and 5 Stat Points. ]
[ ✦ You have leveled up to 6 ]
Ben accepted the orb. As it dissolved into his hand, a warm, invigorating surge of power flowed through him. His weapons shimmered and dissolved into digital dust, replaced by his familiar, unassuming briefcase, which reappeared with a soft click in his grip. He smoothed his tie, a gesture of quiet triumph, a silent acknowledgment of the order he had just imposed.
"Thank you for your cooperation," he said, his voice devoid of warmth, a polite dismissal that was colder than any threat. He turned to leave the stunned warlock, who collapsed onto the floor, sobbing—his strength, skills, and dignity all properly itemized and seized, leaving him a hollow shell of his former self, a mere shadow of the leader he once was.
Outside, the chaos had settled into an eerie routine.
A long line of goblins, bewildered and resigned, formed outside the main cave square, holding small flickering EXP orbs in their trembling hands. Most were weeping or cursing under their breath, but they waited, a silent, unwilling queue. The Taxbound Goblins, still dressed in their business suits, stood proudly in formation, their golden clubs held over their shoulders like badges of honor, collecting the taxes owed with bureaucratic precision. Their initial confusion had given way to a strange, almost zealous dedication.
Each submission was processed. Each violation flagged. Each debtor issued a stamped receipt in glowing red sigils, a terrifying mark of their compliance, a reminder of the System's inescapable reach.
Ben stepped forward as his new agents handed over their collections, a shimmering mass of raw EXP and stat points that pulsed with stolen power. He inspected it, a faint, satisfied smile playing on his lips, then gave a curt nod.
[ ✦A total of 3,015 EXP has been collected. ]
[ You earned earned 301 EXP. ]
"You'll receive a 5% commission and 5% applied to your outstanding debt," he said flatly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority that made the goblin agents stand straighter. "Maintain this pace. I'll audit again in one lunar cycle."
The goblin agents, their chests puffing out even further, nodded furiously, their golden clubs now symbols of their bizarre, new authority. They saluted, a clumsy but earnest gesture, before turning back to their work.